Mental Health

If you’re unhappy with changes to your job, getting to work may feel like an insurmountable task. A new Canadian survey warns that 46 per cent of employees have taken time off work or noticed their colleagues take time away to tend to their mental health following workplace changes, specifically a change in job roles.

When changes sweep the workplace, negative implications for employees often follow, according to a new survey by Morneau Shepell, a human resources consulting company. Continue reading →

On Jan. 25, it seemed the whole nation was talking about mental health. People posted, tweeted and sent text messages extolling the virtues of psychological and emotional well-being. They openly spoke about the pitfalls of what happens when we fail to address mental health and challenged the stigma. Continue reading →

Family doctors are the first point of contact for most people seeking diagnosis and care, but a disconnect between physicians and mental health professionals leaves many stranded.

When Esme Hurst’s teenage son Alex started showing signs of depression and anxiety, she took him to their family doctor.

His physician diagnosed depression, prescribed an anti-depressant and referred Alex to a local hospital’s youth mental health services.

None of it helped Alex. He got an assessment from hospital staff, but they did not refer him to ongoing treatment. And he hated the anti-depressants, said they made him feel strange.

Family doctors are the first point of contact for thousands of people seeking diagnosis and care for mental illness, but a disconnect between physicians and mental health professionals leaves many patients stranded without an effective path to treatment.

Last year was a rough one. Everything seemed to go wrong. Beloved celebrities died, presidential elections went awry, an entire city was basically wiped off the map and the whole world seemed to be in a downward spiral. 2017 seems like it should to be a better year.

Every year people make resolutions, but research from the University of Scranton suggests that just eight per cent of people actually keep them. Of course, typical resolutions include things like losing weight, spending more time with friends and family and learning a new skill. This year, instead of all of those resolutions doomed to fail, a commitment to mental health and self-care could be at the top of your list. Here are some ways to keep on top of your mental health this year. Continue reading →

This week has been absolutely devastating for Star Wars fans following the death of Carrie Fisher, and just one day later, even more heartbreaking news came with the death of her mother. Legendary actor Debbie Reynolds died at age 84 on Wednesday, and although she might be gone, she has definitely left a legacy behind that will live on — and not just because of her career in entertainment. Reynolds’ dedication to mental health causes is something that isn’t often talked about, but it should be, and hopefully, people will remember that just as they’ll remember her in Singin’ in The Rain. Continue reading →

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is making a public plea to the provinces to take Ottawa up on its offer to spend more on mental health — even as federal officials were burning up the phone lines behind the scenes to negotiate health funding deals with individual provinces.

In Calgary to talk to business people Wednesday, Trudeau urged mental health advocates to pressure their provincial governments to work with Ottawa on mental health. Continue reading →

When Nadia was 18, her parents took her to a Muslim faith healer who claimed to be able to exorcize her depression.

Throughout her adolescence in Saudi Arabia, Nadia* struggled to find joy in life.

“As time went on, I felt like I couldn’t hold myself together,” Nadia said. “It feels like my life is wasted, because society doesn’t think that I have value, there is so much pressure to be something you are not here.”

Around her 18th birthday, her angst turned into full blown depression. She often felt worthless, suffered from anxiety and at times could barely get out of bed. Nadia knew she needed help and turned to her parents for support. Uneducated about mental illness and extremely superstitious, her parents took her to a religious (also known as faith or traditional) healer to perform an exorcism on her. They believed that she was possessed. Continue reading →

OTTAWA (December 15, 2016) The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) is encouraged to see federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Finance and Health meet on December 19th to discuss issues related to a possible Health Accord. Only through committed partnership and collaboration can sustainable transformation of the health system occur. Continue reading →

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has agreed to add health care to the menu at this week’s gathering of first ministers, a concession to the provinces who want Ottawa to pick up a greater share of health-care spending.

The increase in federal health transfers to the provinces will be held to three per cent this year instead of six per cent — a cost-saving measure introduced by the previous Conservative government that the Liberals are keeping as they try to negotiate another health-care accord. Continue reading →